Arab-Islamic Summit draft urges review of ties with Israel after Qatar strike

The draft resolution called for “reviewing diplomatic and economic relations with and initiating legal proceedings against” Israel.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Arab and Muslim leaders are weighing steps to downgrade relations with Israel following its strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar, according to a draft statement seen by AFP.

The meeting in Doha produced a joint declaration that has not yet been released publicly.

However, the draft calls on states “to take all possible legal and effective measures to prevent Israel from continuing its actions against the Palestinian people, including by … reviewing diplomatic and economic relations with it, and initiating legal proceedings against it.”

The language reflects a coordinated push by participating states to demonstrate solidarity after what they described as an unprecedented Israeli operation in Doha.

While the document’s final form is still pending, the recommendations could increase pressure on Arab governments to take visible action against Israel.

Israel currently has peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan and normalized ties in 2020 with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain under the Abraham Accords.

More recently, it has pursued closer relations with Saudi Arabia and even explored contacts with Syria.

Any formal review of diplomatic or economic ties by Arab or Muslim states would test these relationships and complicate Israel’s efforts to expand regional recognition.

An early draft of the letter written before the summit indicated that present and future normalization efforts with Israel are endangered by Israel’s Doha strike and its ongoing operation in Gaza.

The statement alleged that Israel was committing “genocide” in Gaza and was carrying out “ethnic cleansing” and “starvation,” all accusations in the media that the Israeli government and military have repeatedly denied, often by showing footage of Hamas embedded in civilian areas and proof that there were sufficient supplies of food.